17th May 2024

How can I get into teaching without a degree?

It’s 2024, and you may be considering a career change. However, it can be incredibly overwhelming to know where to start and also understand what roles are available with the skills that you have. 

A career in teaching can be rewarding, fulfilling, and most importantly – fun. There are a lot of misconceptions about how you can get into teaching, and many people assume that you need a degree to become a teacher straight away. However, there are different routes to entry depending on your goals and expectations. 

We believe that if you’re passionate about teaching, you should have access to the most practical, comprehensive, and rewarding teacher training packages out there! We take a unique approach to teacher training that makes us a trusted partner to thousands of educators across the UK. 

We’ve put together a short guide for people who want to get into teaching without a degree!

Teaching assistant training programme

The main way to kickstart your career as a teacher without a degree is to get involved in a teaching assistant training programme. Traditional primary and secondary teaching roles require a degree, whereas working as a teaching assistant first allows you to be in a classroom environment and build up your experience before going for a traditional teaching role. 

Our training programme for TAs (ETAP) gives people the knowledge and confidence to work in schools, and removes the barrier for people who may not have previously considered a role as a TA within a school. You can pick your chosen route (Primary, Secondary, SEND) and then start your training programme. All you need is 4 GCSEs at C and above including Maths and English as well as a passion and drive to begin your career in teaching. If you want to progress into primary teaching, you’ll also need a C grade or above in Science. 

This is great for people who:

• Want to see if teaching is for them but don’t want to commit to large studying fees
• Want to gain experience in teaching to understand how their career could progress
• Want the opportunity to work in different schools and environments 
• Love the idea of being a teaching assistant and supporting teachers in an empowering environment

What does your average teaching assistant do? 

• Preparing lesson material
• Record student progress and monitor behaviour
• Support the teacher during lesson time 
• Ensure that the lesson runs smoothly
• Set up and tidy classrooms
• Provide additional support for students where necessary

Learn more about being a teaching assistant here.

How to progress into primary and secondary teaching

If your long-term goal is to become a primary or secondary school teacher, you’ll need to obtain an undergraduate degree as well as a QTS (Qualified Teacher Status). To become eligible for QTS, you’ll need 12 weeks’ worth of classroom experience, which you could potentially obtain while studying. 

You can also find degrees that enable you to get your QTS as part of the undergraduate course. If you wish to become a secondary school teacher, your degree needs to be in the subject that you want to teach. Degrees with QTS combine study at university with placement blocks where you’ll also develop practical skills.

Unfortunately, if you don’t complete an undergraduate degree then it’s not possible to progress beyond being a teaching assistant. However, if you love being a teaching assistant and don’t want to progress into a different role, then you don’t have to take the undergraduate route. The beauty of teaching is that there are different levels of entry, giving opportunity to all regardless of educational status or background. 

Salaries and benefits

Once you’re qualified and on your chosen path, there are a ton of opportunities available. Whether it’s teaching in the UK to build your experience before relocating abroad to teach, or working in a secondary school to progress your career and then look at post-graduate options. There are many routes that can be enriching professionally as well as enjoyable day to day. 

For more details on average pay rates, see our blog here.

It’s important that if you’re considering teaching but don’t have a degree that you’re realistic with the type of role you could get as well as the salary expectations that you have. Before engaging with any kind of teacher training programme, you should look to do substantial research to ensure that your career move is the correct one for you!

We have a range of incredible programmes available that support both teaching assistants as well as undergraduates and post-graduates. Not sure what route is right for you? Get in touch today!